Punishment 245-The Strongest Person
by JDantes
Summary: Anis has been keeping a secret from Kaede and the other knights. How will Kaede react when he finds out? One Shot. AnisxKaede


**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Aya Shouto, the original author. I own and claim nothing. Quotes are taken from the English translation by Turtle Paradise Scanlations, found on . This particular one-shot takes place in between Chapter 24 and Chapter 25 of the manga, so there may be spoilers up to Ch. 24. Rated T for language. **

"Are you sure that you're all right, Anis?" Kaede asked for the seventh time. Anis scowled at him.

"For the last time, Kae-idiot, I'm f—" she was broken off by a fit of coughing. She leaned against the wall as she finished, trying desperately to catch her breath.

"My dear and illustrious princess, is that the dreadful sound of ailment I hear? Do not be afraid-your chivalrous White Knight has arrived!" exclaimed Mitsuru, causing a flurry as he dramatically gestured his way through the crowd in the hallway and leaned in towards her.

"Stop that, Mitsuru!" snapped Anis, with far less patience than normal. Mitsuru's loud voice was especially loud today, turning a bad headache into an excruciating one. As Kaede pushed Mitsuru away and the two began bickering, she slipped away, making her way outside. As she walked home from school, she let the façade fall, and her shoulders slumped with exhaustion. In truth, she'd been sick all winter. It was just especially bad today-her head ached, her body ached, and she couldn't stop coughing. It was just a few colds though, and she needed to be there for her knights. If they had to be chained to her as this "Dominion", the least she could do was be there for them. She needed to find the Arcana cards soon and release them all from this wretched destiny crap. The winter breezes blew coldly and she shivered and pulled her scarf tighter, coughing. She was soon bent over double, gasping for air.

"Damn it," she muttered. "I can't be this weak. I need to have strength. I need to support them". _I need to support him_, she thought, as she staggered on. Not that she would ever admit it, but Kaede…well, he was different. He had been different from the beginning. He was the first one she called out. He was the one she called when she was lonely. He was the one she called when she was scared. _I just wish that there wasn't this whole Dominion and Knight thing…it just makes everything complicated…but would I have known him like this if there wasn't? Maybe we could've gotten together anyway, maybe…_She shook her head, blushing. Regardless of what might've happened or not happened, she needed to focus on the current situation. At the moment, she reflected darkly, that situation seemed to be making it home without collapsing.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally shut the door behind her. As she brewed some tea and drew a hot bath, she felt a little guilty. There was definitely other ways that she could've spent this time. _Like looking for Arcana cards, for example_, she thought. Then she shook her head, regretting the action immediately as her head throbbed. There was no way she could've kept up appearances today, and the last thing she wanted to do was show weakness. _They're always so strong, always defending me no matter what, and I have to do the same_ , she determined silently. As night fell and Anis finished her tea and her bath, she collapsed on her bed, worn out. The peace was short-lived, as she began to cough once again, dropping to her knees and hacking into the garbage can beside her bead. The coughing wouldn't stop and Anis began to grow dizzy. When she finally stopped, her head spun and the lights in her room sped in a thousand different directions.

_Kaede…_she thought. _I need Kaede…_ As she collapsed on her side, the last thing she saw was the bright red of his card as she pressed it to her lips.

"I hope she's alright" muttered Kaede as he paced back and forth in his kitchen. "She's been coughing…and she looks exhausted…and she barely ate anything today…". He stopped abruptly. "I'm going to see her." Before he could finish the thought though, he felt the familiar tug of the card. "Miss me already?" he asked as he came through to her apartment, smirking. The smile died on his lips. Anis lay motionless in front of him. "Anis! ANIS!" he shouted and kneeled down, pulling her into his arms. Her face was deathly pale, and her breathing harsh. He scooped her up and laid her on the bed gently, pulling the covers over her.

_How long has she been like this? How bad is it? What's wrong? What do I.._he stopped himself short. Now was not the time to panic. Controlling his emotions with difficulty, he pushed aside her pinkish bangs and laid a trembling hand on her forehead. Almost immediately, he pulled his hand back. She had a high fever, that much was clear. _Ah ha! _He though triumphantly. _Seiran can heal her! Or Mitsuru! _Then he stopped short. Anis couldn't summon anyone when unconscious. Besides that, _I really don't want to put her through Seiran's "cure"_, he thought, shuddering at the memory. _And I can't use her blood for Mitsuru's powers, not when she is this weak. _

"Kaede," said Anis softly.

"Anis?" he asked eagerly, leaning in. But she was not awake, and she was clearly getting worse. Her tense body was proof of her labored breathing, and she curled into a ball under the covers as she shivered with cold. "Okay," Kaede breathed, talking aloud in his nervous state, "one step at a time."

He gazed at her for a moment, then sprang into action. He rummaged through her closet and found extra pillows, which he used to prop up her head. On the top shelf he found a quilt, which he spread over her, tucking her in carefully. Finally, he retrieved a wet towel, a glass of water, and a thermometer from the kitchen and bathroom respectively and brought them both to her bedside table.

"Kaede," said Anis again. She was clearly agitated in her unconscious state and she began to stir restlessly. "Kaede, where are you?" she asked.

"Sssh, Anis, I'm here" he said, laying the towel on her forehead and taking her hand. "I'm right here. I'll always be here. I promised you, didn't I?"

"Kaede…" she muttered, turning towards him. He readjusted the towel and stuck the thermometer in her ear.

"103?" He pulled back, alarmed. "I didn't know it was that bad. I need to take her to the E.R." As he spoke, Anis opened her eyes.

"Kaede," she whispered, her eyes unfocused.

"Come on, Anis," he said, and picked up her coat from the floor, helping a very dazed Anis put her arms into the sleeves. "Where are we going?" she asked. "Did you find an Arcana card?"

"We're going to the hospital, you idiot," said Kaede, pulling her onto his back. He slid out the apartment and made his way down the stairs while Anis protested feebly. "Sssh, Anis, just rest for a while, okay?" he said. As he held Anis, feeling the heat of her fever against him and her arms around him, he remembered a different time, a happier time when he held her in such a way.

"_Besides…you come for me whenever I call.."._ Kaede shook his head. Had she been sick then? Surely not. She couldn't have taken off after the fiasco at Mitsuru's mansion like that if she was sick…right? He reached the street and waved his hand at the nearest cab. "Taxi!" Fortunately, the taxi in question was both empty and the driver recognized the danger in Anis' obviously semi-delirious state. As soon as the taxi driver screeched to a halt, waving away the money Kaede waved at him, Kaede pulled Anis into his arms and walked through the E.R. doors.

"What's wrong?" the doctor asked as a nurse called for a stretcher.

"She collapsed and she has a fever of 103. She's been coughing a lot, too and not eating very much" blurted Kaede. A stretcher was wheeled up and two nurses helped Kaede lay Anis on the stretcher.

"Why don't you give information to the receptionist, and we'll look after your friend here," the doctor said calmly and accompanied the hurrying nurses into the next room. Kaede stared after them in despair. He gave the required information as best as he could.

"Is there anyone you would like to call?" the receptionist asked.

"Oh," said Kaede. He certainly wasn't going to call Anis' father, but the rest of the Rhode knights needed to know what was going on. "Yeah." He took the phone and stared at it blankly. He didn't have a cell phone, and he had no idea if the other knights even had phones, let alone their phone numbers. Before he could finish his thought, however, the other three knights rushed in.

"What's wrong?" asked Seiran. "Is Anis OK?"

"We felt her distress," said Mitsuru, serious for once.

"And yours," remarked Mutsuki, giving Kaede a look that was entirely too shrewd. Kaede held up his hands.

"I don't know, OK? She summoned me, but when I showed up she was unconscious." He frowned at the other knights. "She's been coughing. And she's barely been eating."

"Only in the past few days though," said Seiran anxiously. "How could being sick escalate this fast?"

"Because Miss Yamamoto has been sick for some time," interjected a new voice calmly. The doctor walked out. The four knights stared at him. "She told me she has gotten sick-chest colds and the like-a number of times this winter."

"I was aware, but she told us nothing, so I assumed she was healthy enough," said Mutsuki, frowning.

"Your friend is good at concealing her illness," said the doctor, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know why, but she is very, _very_ reluctant to admit that she is sick. I could barely get her to admit being sick earlier. In any case, she has developed bronchial pneumonia, and that is what I want to talk to you about."

"Pneumonia?" asked Kaede.

"Yes," said the doctor. "Has Miss Yamamoto lost a lot of blood lately?" Four pairs of shocked eyes turned to him.

"Well, n-no," stammered Kaede. Mutsuki rolled his eyes and pushed him aside.

"Miss Yamamoto has not lost any significant amounts of blood that we are aware of," he interrupted, smoothly covering Kaede's stammering reply. The doctor frowned.

"Odd. She is very anemic, and that is what has made her so susceptible to illness this winter. Young adults are susceptible to pneumonia during this season as it is, particularly after being ill, but I suspect Miss Yamamoto's anemia has contributed significantly to her condition."

"What should we do?" asked Seiran, looking as adorably concerned as only he could. The doctor raised another eyebrow, not quite sure what to make of the quartet of "friends".

"Is there no relatives you can contact?" he asked. Kaede shook his head. The doctor pursed his lips. "Well, first, she needs absolute rest. I get the impression that she has been over-working herself, and thereby adding stress to her condition, although she certainly won't admit it. We will keep her overnight and give her some antibiotics, but she can go home in the morning. I'll give her some various antibiotics to take for a couple of weeks, during which time she should definitely stay at home and rest."

"Can we see her?" asked Kaede. Guilt was washing over him, and judging by the looks on the other knights' faces, he wasn't the only one. The doctor shook his head.

"We've hooked her up to an IV and we're bringing her fever down now. If one of you could stay and bring her home in the morning…"

"I'll stay," blurted Kaede.

"This dog…" murmured Mutsuki, eyeing Kaede with distaste.

"I will stay as well," declared Mitsuru dramatically, but the doctor cut him off.

"Just one, please. If this gentleman will stay, the rest of you should go home for tonight. Miss Yamamoto will make a full recovery, provided she gets enough rest." The rest of the knights exchanged glances, then turned and reluctantly left. The doctor turned to Kaede.

"I will let you know as soon as you can see her. In the meanwhile, if you'd just like to sit in the waiting room, and let us know if you need anything."

"She will be all right, won't she?" asked Kaede. The doctor's face softened minutely at the sight of Kaede's desperate eyes.

"Yes, she will," he reassured. Then he gave Kaede a smile and returned through the doors of the E.R. wing. Kaede collapsed into a chair, dropping his head into his hands. _Dammit, Anis. Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell me?_ He searched his memories , looking for a sign, any sign, that he ignored, that he missed. Hadn't he given her enough signs? Didn't she know how he felt?

"_Listen it wouldn't matter to me…If you were my Dominion or not. I'd still…"_ Kaede buried his head further in his hands. He'd been there for her. From the beginning, he'd been there for her.

"…_if you ever get lonely, just call for me. I'll always be here for you… "_Didn't she know that? Why hadn't she told him. If the scene at Mitsuru's house had shown anything, it was that they could depend on each other. Why hadn't she admitted she was sick?

Kaede didn't know how much time had passed, but the next time he looked up, the doctor stood in front of him.

"If you would like to take her home, you can. She's awake and ready to go," said the doctor, smiling. Kaede jumped up.

"Thank you," he said breathlessly. The doctor walked away, and Kaede turned around to meet a pale Anis, eyes downcast.

"Listen, Kaede—" she started, but she was cut off. Kaede stepped forward and put his arms around her, enveloping her tightly in a hug.

"Didn't I tell you that I would always be there for you?" he whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"But it's my fault," cried Anis, breaking away from him. "I promised myself. That no one else would be hurt because of this Dominion thing. But Mitsuru, Mitsuki, Seiran…even you, Kaede—" Her voice broke, and Kaede hugged her again.

"It's not like that, Anis. We would all do anything for you. I—" He paused. "I told you, even if you weren't my Dominion, I would do anything for you." Anis looked up at him, lip trembling.

` "I wanted to be strong for y—for everyone," she said.

"You're the strongest person I know," said Kaede seriously, looking straight into her eyes. Anis broke away suddenly and turned her back to him. Kaede blushed furiously. How long he could keep this up, exactly? He both longed for and dreaded the first awakening. _God, I love—_He shook his head. "Do you like hanging out in creepy hospitals. Geez!" He muttered, dragging Anis out by the arm.

And like that, the two fell to bickering as they left the hospital and headed towards Anis' apartment. High above them, Mitsuki watched them with troubled eyes. Every day brought them closer together...the only ones who denied the truth that danced before their eyes were Anis and Kaede themselves. It was only a matter of time before a confrontation would take place, and when that happened…Mitsuki sighed. Only time would tell now.


End file.
